planet Asian

The bizarre, and probably unworkable, “Yellow-Red” card scheme, cooked up by Phuket police officials two weeks ago, immediately vanished from the news – mostly accompanied by foreign doubters and critics on social media. The card system, if implemented, would have recognised unlawful acts by foreigners with a yellow card and kicked them out of the country. More than one offence, presumably a red…

A friendly visa policy and diverse entertainment services have made Thailand more attractive than Vietnam in the eyes of foreign tourists. Grant Wilson, 61, an Australian who has been living in Vietnam for six years, said he had traveled to Thailand more than 30 times. Though Vietnam has beautiful scenery, delicious food and friendly people, Wilson said that Thailand has been developing tourism…

A group of Russian tourists demonstrated their environmental responsibility this week by lending a hand to clean up a beach on Koh Samui. On the morning of January 31, a group of Russian tourists helped to collect garbage from Baan Mae Nam Beach before enjoying their day swimming, sunbathing, and exercising. The Phuket Express reported the cleanup yesterday. The tourists found a variety of waste…

Americans spend an average of 96,269 baht (US$2,887) per person while traveling in Thailand, higher than European visitors, who spend $2,684, a survey shows. U.S. tourists spend an average of 2,000-3,000 baht on accommodation a night and they always stay in the country up to 15 days per trip, according to the survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand, which polled 200 Western tourists…

Thailand plans to charge foreign arrivals arriving by air a tourist fee of 300 baht (US$9.11) and a fee of 150 baht (US$4.56) for tourists entering the kingdom via land/sea by mid-2023. The 300 baht tourist fee for air arrivals has been in the pipeline for a long time and is set to be enforced in June after facing several Covid-19-related delays. However, the Ministry of Tourism wasn’t sure about…

With the Chinese New Year wrapping up, those who venture out onto Thailand’s streets will see just how much the country’s history has been shaped by China. Modern-day Thai people are thought to have emigrated from China over 1,000 years ago. The Tai ethnicity originally consisted of those who spoke a common Tai language. Those same people migrated from China down through Southeast Asia, with…

Thailand has reportedly beaten its goal for foreign arrivals in 2022 after seeing a total of 11.15 million tourists enter the country last year. Initially, the Kingdom had set a goal for 10 million tourists to arrive in 2022. But, as the world opened up after the Covid-19 pandemic, the country saw a significant jump in arrivals compared to 2021’s 428,000 visitors. According to the National News…

For foreigners from the so-called ‘global north’ traveling to Thailand, for the most part, they can just come whenever they please without the need of a visa for stays ranging from 45 to 90 days. Yes, this includes travelers from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Schengen member states, whose governments all make it an ordeal for Thais to get a visa to go the opposite…

Thai workers with their sights set on berry-picking in Finland could end up in debt rather than turn a profit, the Thai Embassy in Helsinki has warned. In a post on the Facebook page of the Thai Embassy in Finland, officials have sought to raise awareness of the fact that many Thais who travelled to the European nation to pick berries believing they would return home with a lot of money have…

An American online news and lifestyle publication has included Thailand in its list of the world’s best travel destinations for 2023. Alesandra Dubin, News and Lifestyle editor at Insider.com also singles out an American music festival that will be held in Thailand for the first time this year. “Coming to Thailand for the first time in 2023 is America’s hip-hop music festival, Rolling Loud,…

Bangkok – Join us at Siam Paragon Mall for an unforgettable Chinese New Year Celebration in 2023! Experience the thrill of the traditional tiger and lion dances. The spectacular Indigo green mountain dance show all the way from china and marvel at the decorations set up all around the Siam Paragon mall. Sourse – The Thaiger VIDEO https://youtu.be/LY8GZYarzFk

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that it was targeting to double the pre-pandemic number of tourists by 2027 but data showed that the best case would be just about the same levels it had seen during 2019. The country, which recorded a total of nearly 40 million tourists in 2019, said that it has set a target of 80 million by 2027. The ministry, however, also cautioned that before…